The company will continue to expand aggressively not just next year but also in the years after that, said Pawel Musial, the Polish executive in charge of Profi. He added the retailer would also close unprofitable stores, but do it at a much slower rate than the openings.
The retailer’s plans for next also include launch of two new store formats, set to take on convenience stores in cities and stores in rural areas. The two new formats will be called City and Loco. City will be like Profi but on a smaller scale and Loco will be a replica of the stores that used to operate in villages selling everything needed there, including hoes and spades.
Musial starts 2013 will with a bold expansion plan after 2012 was a very good year for the company, the third of like-for-like growth. “Unless something major happens, we will reach our target this year and the sales will be much higher than in 2011.”
Profi’s sales might stand at almost EUR300 million if sales per store remain at EUR2 million. It posted EUR220 million sales last year, up 50% on 2010.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)